by Vir Das got America’s attention with his first Netflix special, last year’s Abroad Understanding. Filming it in a small theater in New York City, then cutting it together with footage of him performing the same material in an arena in India, we learned that Das is a comedian to listen to.
In Losing It, how much of it is worth listening to, tho?
As I wrote in my review for Decider:
And he wants us all to know how well he’s doing now, joking about putting on an American accent to “be more Indian” and taking his stand-up on tour to 33 countries (and if you subscribe to the theory that stand-up comedy provides a vehicle for men to jerk off their egos in public, then Das’s jokes about masturbation won’t dispel that at all).
Das does want to look at Indian stereotypes and religious icons a bit differently. Indian people seem smarter only in relation to the rest of the world, and yet in proportion with their own population. “Eighty percent of social media cannot spell social or media,” no matter where you go, he jokes. He believes in God, but not organized religion, which he argues is like asking someone else to take your selfie. “When you remove the bullshit from religion, what’s left is a cool story,” Das says. So he has some fun with Hindu’s epic story of Ramayana, taking care to mime his jokes so he cannot be accused of heresy. Das also tests and teases us with some other tales, asking us to decide which tales are too tall for the truth. A montage during the end credits will reward you for your patience in playing along.
Read my full review in Decider.
